THE TRIP NEARLY BEGAN WITH A THUD, NOT A BANG. While attempting on-line check-in — something I never do — I realized my ticket was issued to “Maginness Richard Maginness.” I guess it’s possible — but not very probable — that I goofed. More likely it was the friendly folks at JustFly. Anyway, I spent a fruitless day on the phone trying to straighten it out. NOTE: Trying to contact Qatar Airlines in Doha on a Friday is like trying to call the Pope on Easter!
It wasn’t until this morning, 12 hours before takeoff, that we received the correct tickets. It wasn’t until we were checked in at Atlanta that I could breathe again. In the meantime, I had re-booked on a different site, knowing I could cancel that flight within 24 hours, if needed.
What's my name?
Qatar is my new favorite airline. The downside is that most flights pass through the hub in Doha, but Etihad and Emirates have hubs in Abu Dhabi and Dubai which are even farther from the US. The route from Atlanta to Qatar went north of Newfoundland, just south of Greenland, north of Scotland and then turned south over Copenhagen. Then we crossed Poland, Turkey and Iraq on line to Doha — 13 hours in the air!
Doha International Airport
The new Airbus 350-1000 wasn’t full. Several passengers near us had an entire row of 3 to themselves. Connie and I each had an isle with an empty middle. As a surprise, we left the gate on time. More surprising, the food was pretty edible with free beer, wine and alcohol. My favorite part of all the Middle-Eastern airlines are the flight attendants unis. Like Etihad and Emirates, the women wear classy hats and big smiles. They are an exotic bunch from all over the world.
Thirteen hours is a long time in the air. As I write this we are killing our layover on reclining chairs in the quiet family area, waiting for our 2AM departure for the Seychelles. The airport at Doha is wonderful as befits a future World Cup host country. The bad news is that we had not seven, but ten hours to explore it. Our flight to the Seychelles left the gate on time but soon returned. Something was amiss in the port engine. After a wait onboard while the engineers inspected the engine, we changed to another plane. We eventually left on an identical A320, which meant I could claim an entire row of four seats and stretch out. We both got a good sleep but I fear jet lag will still be an issue. Eight times zones is a lot to make up for.
